M10-D Help

[rv12]

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I recently bought the M10-D and I have a couple of questions if someone care to help me out.

1.- Metering, in the M10-D the only way to know if your photo is well compensated is through a little dot inside the Range Finder. I saw a lot of my photos going over exposed or underexposed where I wanted, I tried Spot metering but I had the same issue since I don't know where my "compensations in the spot" is coming from since I don't have a display. So my questions is what is the best method?

2.- I know focus assistant is enable by default in the M10-D but what does it do?

3.- What is the max ISO recommendation you will go in M10 Sensor?

Any recommendations appreciate it :)

 

[jakontil]

Hi rv12,

 

1. Without the evf like visoflex the default metering is center weight no matter what u choose unless you are using live view to compose and shoot

 

2. it does magnifying automatically and focus peaking when the areas are in focus but thats only applicable in evf or LV mode

 

3. iso in M10 is excellent, My max is 6400 though going any further is still as safe but it depends on your style of shooting

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[scott kirkpatrick]

Some of these options are settable using Fotos and a recent generation Android or i-Phone or an iPad.  Connecting to the M10-D WiFi you first let the app see the square bar code on the bottom under the base plate.  Then you turn on the WiFi using the switch on the back of the camera.  Wait until the green light stops blinking and then tell Fotos to connect.  If you want you can try remote operation and upload raw files, but I just use it to set max ISO to 6400 (default is 12500), auto magnification OFF (you can call it up when needed using a button on camera), and auto review OFF.  I'd like to set GPS OFF as well (there is a GPS in the attached VF20) but it doesn't offer that yet.

[rv12]

20 hours ago, jakontil said:

Hi rv12,

 

1. Without the evf like visoflex the default metering is center weight no matter what u choose unless you are using live view to compose and shoot

 

2. it does magnifying automatically and focus peaking when the areas are in focus but thats only applicable in evf or LV mode

 

3. iso in M10 is excellent, My max is 6400 though going any further is still as safe but it depends on your style of shooting

Wow, that's so dissaponting that I need the visoflex no matter what! I wanted to avoid that to keep it more oldschool but thanks for sharing! 

[IkarusJohn]

You don’t need a Visoflex at all.  The M10-D works perfectly like any M camera (actually better because of the improved OVF over previous M cameras).

While you may be used to EVF based cameras and SLRs with through the lens focus and compose, and all the information projected through the viewfinder, the rangefinder is actually very effective, and you might find after some use that the stripped down M10-D, without the Visoflex is preferable.  I found that.  The Visoflex is useful for some circumstances (macro), and the iPhone App very useful for things like remote firing of the shutter, but the bare M10-D is my preference.

Think about it this way:

• What are your most commonly used focal lengths?  28-90?  The M camera is perfect.  If a 70-210 zoom is your preferred lens, then the M system isn’t for you.
• The framing of the  camera is unique, offering accurate focusing with the split parallax focus patch; you get to see around the frame lines, which can make your “decisive moment” more reliable; however the framelines are ... approximate.
• Exposure using the built in meter is centre weighted.  It is accurate, as far as it goes; but it is centre weighted.  Get to know it, and it won’t let you down.  You do need to expose for highlights.
• Aperture, shutter, ISO and focus are all direct control and manual.

If you need framing outside 28-90, more complex metering and more info through the viewfinder, then the Visoflex is an option, but the camera is better without.  I think if your approach to photography is that you can’t survive without the Visoflex and your iPhone in your hand, then the M10-D might not be for you.  But if you can think out of that paradigm, it's a great camera - some of the most memorable pictures in history have been taken with such “crippled” cameras.

Frame, focus, expose ...

Edited October 15, 2019 by IkarusJohn

[mdemeyer]

21 minutes ago, IkarusJohn said:

You don’t need a Visoflex at all.  The M10-D works perfectly like any M camera (actually better because of the improved OVF over previous M cameras).

While you may be used to EVF based cameras and SLRs with through the lens focus and compose, and all the information projected through the viewfinder, the rangefinder is actually very effective, and you might find after some use that the stripped down M10-D, without the Visoflex is preferable.  I found that.  The Visoflex is useful for some circumstances (macro), and the iPhone App very useful for things like remote firing of the shutter, but the bare M10-D is my preference.

Think about it this way:

• What are your most commonly used focal lengths?  28-90?  The M camera is perfect.  If a 70-210 zoom is your preferred lens, then the M system isn’t for you.
• The framing of the  camera is unique, offering accurate focusing with the split parallax focus patch; you get to see around the frame lines, which can make your “decisive moment” more reliable; however the framelines are ... approximate.
• Exposure using the built in meter is centre weighted.  It is accurate, as far as it goes; but it is centre weighted.  Get to know it, and it won’t let you down.  You do need to expose for highlights.
• Aperture, shutter, ISO and focus are all direct control and manual.

If you need framing outside 28-90, more complex metering and more info through the viewfinder, then the Visoflex is an option, but the camera is better without.  I think if your approach to photography is that you can’t survive without the Visoflex and your iPhone in your hand, then the M10-D might not be for you.  But if you can think out of that paradigm, it's a great camera - some of the most memorable pictures in history have been taken with such “crippled” cameras.

Frame, focus, expose ...

Good, clear, practical advice. 

[M11 for me]

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I think that having a Visoflex is somehow a contradiction when having an M rangefinder. For me the measurement of the light with the center weighed method works perfectly well. But you have to have some experience and practice mainly when you have no little screen to check your exposure after the shot (note that I have an M10 incl. the screen). With your D-model you will have to be very aware of what you do before the shot and that is the wonderful thing about the D. Very often I do not check the screen either after my shots and therefore I behave somehow as if I had the D-model. What I noticed is the following: The dark areas of an image taken with the M10 are no big problem at all due to the sensor. But the highlights are a problem as they clip easily and can not be restored in post processing as Adobe Lightroom. Lets make an example with landscape: When measuring the exposure somewhere in the middle of your composition that contains only little sky/clouds  then you will see on a histogram that the peak is now in the middle what is to be expected. As a consequence your sky and the clouds will be overexposed and that can not be restored in post processing. To avoid this you have 2 options. First the option I regularly use myself in full manual mode: Look for the lightest area in your picture and measure on this. Normally this is the sky. Set your camera so that you see the full red bullet in your view finder. Then add 1 full LV (light value) by either changing the time or the aperture (this corresponds to 2 clicks towards lighter). Through this your sky will not be overexposed (I assume you shoot in RAW) and you landscape will appear quite dark but you can fix this in lightroom. The alternative would be to shoot in A-mode and use the exposure compensation wheel which I never do.  

Hope this helps.

[HELM]

RV12 -  came from 20+ years of canon cameras so I had similar newbie exposure issues. Once I understood the M10 (now on M10D) camera exposure was center weighted then it was simple to initially focus at what I wanted to be perfectly exposed (Center weighted) then would move the camera to frame the composition as needed and the dynamic range of the sensor handled the over/under exposed areas with 98.5% (random claim) good results for my shots. I then started exposure peaking (made up term) around a composition if there were hot or extremely dark sections of a composition to see how much latitude I needed for the final print. The discussion about the sky above is a perfect example.  I would adjust exposure if I need to handle an extreme.  It was wonderful feeling like a photographer again 🙂

[jaapv]

On 10/15/2019 at 11:53 PM, rv12 said:

Wow, that's so dissaponting that I need the visoflex no matter what! I wanted to avoid that to keep it more oldschool but thanks for sharing! 

The Visoflex is just an aid for macro, long and extreme wide lenses, nothing more. 
you can find the metering pattern in the M 240 FAQ. 

[poli]

31 minutes ago, jaapv said:

The Visoflex is just an aid for macro, long and extreme wide lenses, nothing more. 
you can find the metering pattern in the M 240 FAQ. 

Yes, I also have an M10-d, but do not own the VixoFlex. Don't miss it at all. Also focussing with summicron 90mm is no problem. Maybe if I would use this camera intensively for portraits, I might reconsider purchasing the Visoflex. 

[inglis]

A 135mm works as well without Visoflex, as long as I am careful with focus. 
As mentioned above, The M10D is great alone.